1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to network communications, and especially to a network device and working mode switching method.
2. Description of related art
With the continued development of network communications, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) devices, such as ADSL Transceiver Remote-Terminal (ATU-R) and ADSL Transceiver Unit-Central Office (ATU-C), are widely used. Normally, in an ADSL communication system, the ATU-R is placed in a terminal family, while the ATU-C is placed on the side of a network service provider. Thus, the family user can obtain services provided by the network service provider by exchanging data packets between the ATU-R and the ATU-C.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) has established ADSL device power management standards, such as ITU-T G992.3/G992.5, to regulate signal receipt and transmission within different working modes, such as a normal working mode, a low power mode, and a sleep mode for ADSL devices. Under the ITU-T standards, the ADSL device operating in the sleep mode may not transmit data packets with electrical energy consumption of more than approximately 0.3 watts per line. When the ADSL device is operating in the normal working mode, significantly more data packets can be transmitted, and as a result, the electrical energy consumption of the ADSL device is approximately 1.5 watts per line. When the ADSL device is operating in the low power mode, fewer data packets are transmitted, and as a result, the electrical energy consumption of the ADSL device is approximately 0.75 watts per line.
Normally, family users are able to turn off a computer that is connected to the ADSL device, but they may not turn off the ADSL device in a timely manner. Therefore, the ADSL device does not exit the normal working mode and into the sleep mode in a timely manner, which leads to a higher level of electrical energy consumed by the ADSL device.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.